'I Give up My English Teacher'

October 4, 2014


‘I give up my English teacher!!’

Here comes the ruler… huh! "Come here and stand on the platform, shameless buffalo!" shouted my English teacher miserably... The whole class commenced to float in an ocean of laughter!! Anxiety, fear and curiosity started haunting all who were present. "I give up my English teacher!!" he roared again. It gathered silence in seconds as all feared that it could be any one of us who framed a sentence on the phrase ‘give up’ in the ‘grade nine’ midterm examination! The teacher was distributing the answer sheets. Turmoil had begun! I was shocked and flabbergasted! God, it shouldn’t be me. How can I take it if it is me? No… oh god, please…all prayed and a few promised god of passing over certain contribution!

Believe me, getting humiliated in front of fellow opposite sex pupils is the highest form of vilification during school days. "Volunteer yourself and come front, let all see the linguistic master… it should be he who doesn’t even know what he wrote, useless donkey…"
Silence… perhaps that's what they call ‘pin drop silence’.

"Who could this be other than Mahammad Aseef…? Huh! Scored 18 of 100, come here, let all see your blessed face," the teacher broke the silence. I was trembling with shame. I thought of running away from the class… somewhere envisioning the consequences, I told myself to stay calm and face whatever that would happen. I began walking towards the platform staring at the floor with hard steps. The teacher was correct; I did not even know what it meant until somebody told me as I was walking towards the blackboard!! My goodness, I should not have framed the sentence in that way. Horizontally and vertically falling on the desks, holding their stomachs back, and nodding their heads, each one of them irrespective of gender, caste and grade began to laugh. 

‘Pardon me sir, I thought it meant ‘depend’ and framed such a sentence!! It will not happen again’ I started whispering in his ears. 

"Stand on one foot holding your ear, hurry up". He did not appear like listening.

Call it my destiny, I stood. He took a marker and drew a line around my foot and said "if your feet touch the line, you are dead". 

I stared at all; laughter continued and none took the gaze away from me. The feeling was a disaster; it was a feeling of having lost everything. Criticism, failure and humiliation rebelliously make a man lose hope. You will have no motivation to keep the fight going. 

My medium of education was not English. I incessantly wondered how someone could speak English. It was concrete in my mind that the former was just a subject; none could speak!!! I never heard anyone speaking - it was only the reading by the teacher while explaining the chapters till I joined ‘plus two’. It is a puzzle even now how I wrote English in my exams. When I was in primary school, my cousin told me to forget learning English as he had made thousands of failed attempts to do so. I always had an excuse not to read the subject recalling my cousin’s words. 

I think I was in ‘grade five’ when English was introduced to me. I am really quick in grasping things and considerably a quick learner. The one who told me to forget learning was the one who taught me English first. Within a few days, I could write, recognize and read letters of the alphabet both in lower and upper cases. I was the favorite student of all my teachers when I was in primary school as I was the topper in the class. I was asked to stand in the front during morning assembly as a state of honor! It was always me who led my class at the time of physical exercise even when the inspector came for inspection. How can I forget the moment when the inspector called me and said ‘’well done". The days I loved the most, the days I was so proud of myself, the days of unbeatable moments. 

"Someone must take this shameless pig to a desert to cut his head off," the teacher said staring at me. He continued, "Can you explain why you come to school, huh? People like you are good for nothing, you are a national waste and people like you must be expelled from the country." The laughter of classmates continued. 
I could not figure out what happened to me soon after I completed primary education and joined high school. Standing in the front and getting humiliated after you had a dream school life is nothing less than going busted. "Let him die" the teacher continued and asked the class to return the paper. He began to enter the marks of each student in the ledger calling one by one in alphabetical order as it was arranged in the attendance register. When it was my turn he asked me to stay there till everyone finished. My leg started aching and I thought I would collapse in a few seconds. Ensuring that the teacher was busy entering scores of the students, I slowly began to land my other leg to get refreshed for a while. My classmates had nothing to do but stare at me and get entertained. It is the mindset of the students at that age. Observing my attempts to land my other leg, someone from the middle shouted, "Sir, he touched the line with both of his legs." Hearing this, the teacher leaped towards me like a cheetah at its prey. Don’t ask me the punishment I had to undergo then! I stood for almost 40 minutes on one leg, holding my ear with both hands and getting physically assaulted in between!
I simply ran away as the school bell rang in the evening fearing the sympathetic questions that would arise from friends. The impact of humiliation made me decide to learn English and prove myself to the teacher and the class. ‘Yes, I will definitely speak one day, no matter how difficult’ I kept telling myself. I was confused how to learn and ‘forget learning’ statement made by my cousin. In front of the aspiration to study, ‘forget learning’ disappeared in real. ‘Before I clear my current grade, I must be one among the top scorer’ I said to myself.  I decided to buy a dictionary and a book titled "How can I Speak English?"  You know that the presence of vegetables and rice with other relevant ingredients will not give you a great lunch though your aspiration is to cook well. When all these ingredients are provided and you are asked to make a good lunch when you have zero knowledge about cooking, certainly would not know ‘how to’ and ‘where to’ begin. I was exactly similar!

Initial pages of the book "How can I Speak English?" discussed in the regional language the importance of learning English in today’s day-to-day business and how this book would help the reader to learn English. Though the book carried basic information in simple tenses, it was too heavy to digest for someone who had minimal understanding of the language, and I was not an exception. ‘Why is grammar essential to learn English’ was the question obsessing me all day. I tried to memorize a few sentences and began to speak on my own. I began to lose interest as days progressed. Great aspiration, vision, setting goals to prove ourselves are easy to dream of.

Gaining back your lost image is a ‘Hercules task’. You will have no motivation to bounce back. Living with critics will crumble your morale and you will likewise be one in ten. I survived among the annoyers as a loser.

Years rolled!! Aspiration to learn English never dissolved. Somehow I cleared my SSLC and got admitted to a pre-university college. New environment, new friends gave me an opportunity to be a beginner again. For the first time in my life I heard people speaking English. Hearing someone speak inspired me. I began to listen more and more though I did not understand what it all meant in the beginning. Being among people who respect you and trust your ability will give you the confidence to exhibit more with consistency. Meanwhile I happened to meet an amazing English teacher during the summer vacation who taught me the fundamentals of English grammar and gave me valuable tips to where and how to begin the learning. I stayed with him for about two months acquiring all that was possible. His methodology of teaching was amazing. I loved it. "Don’t memorize. Try to understand the subject. Whenever you see something, ask yourself what it is called in English. This will assist you to improve your lexicon," he said. I just did what he said. My thirst to learn inspired him. English grammar is not simple to understand, but his teaching of the rules of English usage guided me in remembering them and apply them with confidence. I was asked to write all that happened on the previous day using only the tense he taught on the day. This helped me to understand the application of grammatical rules. His strategy of appraisal boosted my morale.
 
"Go near the blackboard and speak assuming that people are here," he said. What shall I speak about? I asked. "Speak anything of your interest, anything that comes to your mind; speak about your home, about your siblings, your school, anything." Although I could not speak anything at the initial stage, I could frame a few sentences that explained the current economy, politics, history and sports. The teacher asked me to consider reading English newspaper and hearing English news broadcast that was useful for me to experience the beauty of thelanguage written and spoken. "Speak on your own, no matter what someone says; critics are a part of life. Don’t be frightened of the critics. Fear is a sickness," he said. 

When the classes commenced after vacation, he praised me for learning English in a remarkable way. He told the class that I was an extraordinary student though I don’t know what extraordinary things he had seen in me. But his appraisal boosted my confidence and gave me an identity in the class which further intensified my aspiration to learn..! I continued my studies with a special focus on English.

It is more than a decade now. I have a Masters Degree in Business Management from an institution of repute. I also have a Masters Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. Training and giving motivational talk is my passion. I happened to meet a couple of incredible personalities during my college who had determined to ‘train the brain’. Forming an association of inspired individuals, I have trained thousands of students, professionals, lecturers and coached different individuals of society on Effective Communication Skill, Career Development, Skill Identification, Stress Management, and on Leadership with an outstanding 94% of ‘Excellent Trainer’ feedback. I have met different nationalities, people of different cultures and people of different accents that made me learn various accents of spoken English. 

"Somebody gave your contact number, how are you?" a call from an unknown number early in the morning during my vacation made me raise my eyebrows. "I heard that you give lectures these days, come with your team and address our students when you are free." It was my high school English teacher!!! I was happy to give an appointment and visit my school to address the students on the topic ‘Kill Fear’. When I gave my own example to boost the morale of the students and explain the subject in a logical manner, none seemed to believed Me. The impact of the interactive session was tremendous. A few students spontaneously came forward to express their views on the session. There were about 300 students of grade 9 and 10. I was surprised to witness a felicitation in which the correspondent of the school said that the school is very proud to see an old student become a well known trainer, writer and a lecturer! 

My English teacher was also given an opportunity to express his views as he was the one who organized the event. "He was a naughty boy during his school days and I punished him in almost all my classes. He was very sincere in undergoing the punishment," he said, evoking  laughter among the students. He added, "He never spoke back. Possibly he was waiting for this day to speak here in a noteworthy fashion," he said in his speech. Tears rolled down unwittingly.

Truth be told, I had no plan to visit my school. I never dreamt I would address the class in the presence of my teacher who nearly considered me a national waste! I simply concentrated on enhancing my skills and followed what my heart said. My limitless debt is not just to the one who taught me writing, but also to the one who inspired me to write. There is no doubt, a determined mind certainly will lead you to achieve the set goal. All you have to do is to stay calm and get yourself groomed. Just love what you do while you do what you love. When you fail, appreciate yourself for giving a try and keep the effort going. Praise and criticism are the two faces of a coin. When you begin to enhance your skills ignoring the critics, you make all the difference.

Looking back, I never thought that the day I cried would make me laugh. If I had not framed the sentence in the grade nine examinations as ‘I give up my English teacher’, if I had not undergone the punishment by the teacher and if I was not humiliated, perhaps you would not have read this article! 

Now I completely leave it to your true assessment to check whether the sentence ‘I give up my English teacher’ is grammatically correct!



Author's email: mahammadaseef@gmail.com


By Mahammad Aseef
Mahammad Aseef (MBA, MAJM, MOS) is a a motivational speaker, writer and a soft skill trainer, currently settled in Qatar and working for an interior designing, architecture and landscaping company of repute. He did his MBA from Mangalore University and has an MA in journalism and mass communication. He won the ‘Best Manager’ award in a National-level B School contest in the year 2009, and several district and state-level English extempore competitions in his college days. He has delivered many motivational talks in many colleges in and around Mangalore. His vision is to spread knowledge, educate people and upgrade the standard of living and spread humanity.
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Comment on this article

  • Aysha Aabie, Mangalore

    Sat, May 04 2019

    "I give up my English teacher" is one of the best article I have ever read. I have no idea how many times I read this article again and again and over again, each time I read, it made me more stronger. "Yes" your article did change my life as well.
    You're article is an example I give to my fellow members who seems to be lost in their own lives.
    I hope you come up with many more articles like this. I'm eagerly waiting for your new article's.
    Thank you so much sir for inspiring and motivating me.
    A huge round of applause to you sir👏🏼.

    Regards,
    A true fan of yours.

  • Mohammad Hedayatullah Ghani, Sasaram

    Sat, Jun 03 2017

    Dear Bro,

    Really Awesome, you have done good task ..! A Very informative and motivating article.. thank you very much for sharing such kind of article which is really very useful and lesson learn.

  • Keerthan Kumar , Mangalore

    Fri, Feb 06 2015

    I still remember that day bro.Look at you now. Where there is a will there is way, You proved it champ..Awesome

  • Annie Dsouza, Moodbidri / Bangalore

    Thu, Feb 05 2015

    Nice narration ! What was the question that the title was the answer for ?

    Similar story of mine with subject "Maths". The feeling of shame is same, though mine was an all-girls school. That feeling has made me an engineer today with a 1st Rank in Masters to boot.

    I should also try to trace my maths ma'am and thank her and the next std maths ma'am too who actually encouraged me. Thank you for this story and for evoking this memorable instance in every readers life.

  • Muhahermmad, mangalore, muscat

    Sun, Nov 30 2014

    Asif, I am still wondering what it really meant? and for what situation you wrote it "I gave up my English teacher. plz help solve this misty

  • BM.Maqbool, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 13 2014

    Excellent..! Congrates Sir...!

  • Rishana h, mangalore / muscat

    Sat, Oct 11 2014

    nice writing!!! reminded me of my school days..i really enjoyed reading it...

  • George, Mangalore

    Thu, Oct 09 2014

    Excellent piece of writing.
    Congrates,sir

  • Jane Pinto , morgansgate, mangalore

    Thu, Oct 09 2014

    I like your article.Keep it up.Wish you all the best

  • Abdul Khadar N , Banglore

    Tue, Oct 07 2014

    Excellent..!!A Very inspiring and motivating article..am glad that I got an opportunity to read such an amazing article of my bro..
    Hard workers never fail,you proved it. I am very proud to say you are my brother... Thanks for sharing it with us. Hope you come up with many articles like this...Hats off to you with lost of Respect...

  • geoffrey, hat hill

    Mon, Oct 06 2014

    This funny poem on the vagaries of English language by Richard Krogh is copied and pasted by RD,Mangalore, the linguistic critic!

  • R.Bhandarkar, Belman

    Mon, Oct 06 2014

    Definitely brings back memoies of my school days too!
    Never gave up on my 'English Teachers' at the Primary Level itself,though.
    They were so charming,wonderful and dedicated to their work, and being in their 'good books' in itself was a honor.
    Mind you, my school was so strict, that we were penalised if we spoke any other language except English!
    The outcome was extraordinary.
    After coming out of this particular convent,me and few of my friends joined a school where
    the environs were not that strict.
    No were the teachers who were not that much in 'command'over the English language.
    We used to find it odd and a bit funny too.
    I for one ,stood out for laughing! And guess what? Used to be sent out of the class for 'knowing too much'!!Believe me and some of my friends will definitely vouch for it!
    Such 'high' were our standards that we could not go further up!
    No choice but to plummet down, which I think I have done over the years!!
    My English was far better when I was in Std.V!!
    Excellent write up Aseef !

  • RD, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 06 2014

    Pity, How a foreign,language is considered as a status symbol and more superior than hundred of our state languages. Shame on our education system that does not realize that a language is only a means of communication and no one language is better than others.All though I am writing in one of the crazy language.For E.g.
    We’ll begin with box, and the plural is boxes,
    But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.
    Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geese,
    Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
    You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice,
    But the plural of house is houses, not hice.

    If the plural of man is always called men,
    Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be pen?
    The cow in the plural may be cows or kine,
    But the plural of vow is vows, not vine.
    And I speak of a foot, and you show me your feet,
    But I give a boot… would a pair be beet?
    If one is a tooth, and a whole set is teeth,
    Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth?f the singular is this, and the plural is these,
    Why shouldn’t the plural of kiss be kese?
    Then one may be that, and three be those,
    Yet the plural of hat would never be hose.
    We speak of a brother, and also of brethren,
    But though we say mother, we never say methren.

    The masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
    But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim.
    So our English, I think you will agree,
    Is the trickiest language you ever did see.

    RD Mangalore

  • Mohsin, Mangalore / Dubai

    Mon, Oct 06 2014

    Inspiring Article and you actually made me feel so positive about our goal in life.I still remember my school days where most of the students used to speak in regional language.I had decided to speak only in English with my friend and it was so embarrassing at that moment as most of our friends and neighbours used to make fun of us.!I was so upset and lost hopes that we will never learn this.And then one fine day my friend said this to my Mother and she said "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.Mistakes are part of life, everyone makes them, everyone regrets them. But, some learn from them and some end up making them again.It's upto you to decide if you will use your mistakes to your advantage".
    We both decided to speak only in English no matter if the grammar is wrong.And that helped us in grooming ourself.

    Mr.Asif,
    I appreciate your effort and proud of you.Wish to see your next article soon.

    Good Luck Bro.

  • Ashik Elahie, Qatar

    Mon, Oct 06 2014

    Asif bhi motivational words. I learnt english by looking at people. My principal in high school motivated me and said never under estimate your self. He told me how to learn it. And i implemented the same.

  • Rita, Germany

    Mon, Oct 06 2014

    This article brings back my Memory about my high School days.You gave up English Teacher,whereas I gave up my Hindi Teacher.As I had Hindi in High School started,9th class,in the beginning ,we had(I) no books.I couldnt write the home work.Next day our Hindi Pandit put me out of the class.For me was it very humiliating,so I decided to off Hindi(we had the choice that time)Next year I wanted but couldnt follow.This article is bringing back School Memorys.Nice Memory.Thank you for the article .It Shows really you can narrate even small things to a interesting Thing.keep up.

  • vinay, mangalore

    Sun, Oct 05 2014

    Hats Off dude!! No words....
    Where there is a will, there is a way...May god bless you!

  • I give up my English teacher, Mandya, Karnataka,India

    Sun, Oct 05 2014

    Heart touching and v v inspiring bro...always keep writing and Inspire us with ur great experience and thoughts

  • Badruddeen Jashveer, Mangalore

    Sun, Oct 05 2014

    I'm speechless... When I got this link from a number I never thought this would be my comment, moonwalker may be stranger for his neighbour!!! Similarly I couldn't recognise your such a peak of extraordinary excellency in all the way!!! Hats up to you Mr. Aseef

  • suchitha shetty, mangalore

    Sat, Oct 04 2014

    Very nice article aseef sir...liked it. ..happy to seeu and ur article. ...

  • I give up my english teacher, Shavad Muhammed. V

    Sat, Oct 04 2014

    Its a real beauty of true motivations filled with high vocabulary. I just loved the article and it's an inspirational experience to go through your story. MR. Aseef keep us entertained and motivated with such more articles.

    Regards,
    A true fan of urs

  • Ashfak Faizee, Nandavara

    Sat, Oct 04 2014

    Nice Article Asif.Really i am very happy to see you writing articles like this.You have been a best speaker.Keep it up.God bless you

  • prem deshpande, pune

    Sat, Oct 04 2014

    excellent and deeply motivating article asif. respect for the efforts and determination.. writing a comment on this article made me check my vocabulary twice before posting :) .. beautiful narration and excellent command over the language..
    keep it up.. cheers !!
    would love to attend your motivational speeches..

  • Rafiq, karnataka

    Sat, Oct 04 2014

    Good one Asif bhai.
    Hope to see your articles again

  • Prithviraj.U.B., Mangalore

    Sat, Oct 04 2014

    Article is inspiring... after going through, it's overwhelming... I wish I also would had been there with u in that summer workshop... I look forward for more of Ur article stuffs... God bless...

  • smitha dsouza, mangalore/ bangalore

    Sat, Oct 04 2014

    Nice article asif. Happy To See you writing articles Like this. You have been a best speaker. keep up the spirit .

  • Mohammad Salauddeen Bantwal, Mangalore/AUH

    Sat, Oct 04 2014

    Oh my! I believe many people who have studied in other mediums than English can connect them to this article. I am completely in awe of the way this guy put his experience in words and my immense respects and salute to the efforts and hardwork you have done to overcome the biggest threat of our early school days, I.e. learning English! I would love to see more of your writings here. Wish you the best.
    Regards,
    Another guy who 'gave up' his English teacher in his school days:p


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